Category: Tour Report

UK Tour: 2025 Edition

A Clouded Start

It would be wrong to say that the 2025 RBCC UK tour started under a cloud but the absence of Tipu, Sudhanshu and Danish, the three of them having been forced to withdraw before coming under starter’s orders, was certainly not the start we wanted. We missed you lads!

The remaining hopefuls met at Zaventem, all present and correct. A quick ‘Ollie Check’ (are you sure you all have your passports?) and we were ready to board the fun bus…except that we couldn’t because Max R and Adam had waited until we were all sorted before going off for a pit stop, thus incurring the first fines of the tour.

The Journey & First Stop

Once underway the usual topics of conversation cropped up; is the Hndrd the death or the future of cricket, is Bazball a real thing…and of course one of Ben’s historical monologues, this time a treatise on nazi death camp transportation systems. Anyway, we rolled up to Coquelles in good time, excitement mounting as the FlexiPlus sign came into view.

Even in the absence of Ben the Big Eater our lads put in a decent performance at the buffet, massacring a tray of chocolate eclairs in memory of glories past and absent friends.

Fully loaded up we were looking forward to a spot of train cricket but the effort of remembering their travel documents meant the youth had forgotten to bring a tennis ball…something to remember for next year.

Donnington Manor Adventures

Arriving in the UK we saluted the Chalk Horse in our best American accents and headed for the eccentric charms of the Donnington Manor Hotel and the tender, though lengthy, welcome of Karen on the check-in desk.

Donnington Manor is a fascinating hotel with statues of elephants, assorted deities and palm trees making the gardens an unconventional corner of the Kent countryside. Some of the interior design was interesting as well but, most importantly, we all managed to get twin rooms except for Dom and Chris who had to manage with a double. That fact will become important later in our story…

Match 1: The Vine

Having settled in we gathered our kit, put our game faces on and headed up to The Vine. As we all know by now, the Vine is one of the oldest cricket venues in the world; its earliest known use was for a match between Kent and Sussex on Friday 6 September 1734. It is also notable for being the first place in England where cricket was played with three stumps rather than two.

While us old timers love that historical feel, the youth have a different approach to the game. Amidst much eye rolling from the former it was agreed by the latter that we would play a version of the Hndrd on this fine old ground.

Our hosts batted first but struggled against our new ball attack with Max B and Max R both taking a couple of wickets; our fielding was sharp with Adam setting the tone behind the stumps. Sevenoaks finished on 121 which felt a little short.

We opened with Dom and Ben, the pair of them in fine form until Ben fell to a good catch on 15 and Dom retired on 25. Arun then gave us one of his masterclasses, playing some delightful drives, while Max B simply hit the hide off the ball before they both retired on 25. There was still time for the annual battle of the Comptons, played out before doting parents and rather less doting children, with Nick C hitting a four off his brother’s bowling before being comprehensively bowled next ball; presumably it was this shocking dismissal that led one old member to mutter ‘…and that’s why he is the worst Compton in the club’. Chris W and skipper Rob then saw us home for a comfortable enough victory as the skies darkened.

As usual The Vine laid on an excellent barbecue and our boys did us proud at the bar, yet again managing to drink all the Timothy Taylor’s. Such was their enthusiasm for this task that some of the older hands ventured that perhaps a modicum of self-preservation might be in order, sadly to no avail; these words of wisdom fell on deaf ears and glassy eyes.

The value of hard-won experience was confirmed in the wee small hours when it turned out that Dom had done that in the bed he was sharing with his brother. Still, what goes on tour etc…

Reviewing events in his role as responsible adult, skipper Rob had no hesitation in declaring Max B as Man of the Match for his 2 wickets, 1 catch and 25 unbeaten runs. Dom won the Dick of the Day award for his inexcusable behaviour that was clearly down to a dodgy prawn and not the gallon of Landlord someone had forced him to drink.

Match 2: Otford

Saturday dawned fair as the lads compared the merits of the breakfasts they had sampled in various hotels over the years. Chris A submitted this beauty as his Breakfast of Champions. Sadly it’s this thinking with his belly rather than his brain that caused the Cancillator to initially turn up at entirely the wrong cricket ground, although to be fair he did get the right county.

Otford is a wonderful ground, with facilities we can only dream about at RBCC. Just as the buzzing of insects in the hedgerows is redolent of the ripeness of late summer in England, so will the sound of the high-speed trainline whizzing past the Otford ground always remind us of the breakfast adventures of our lost antipodean, Mr William Quek.

We batted first with Dom and Ben making an excellent start, putting on a big opening stand without any trouble. They both retired having scored 50, a feat repeated by Max B. Nick C and guest batter Satvick saw us through to what felt like a reasonable score of 232-3 from our 35 overs.

In reply Sevenoaks really started slowly as Chris W and Max R opened the attack with some excellent bowling (1 for 24 and 2 for 20 respectively) which saw our hosts struggling to stay in the game. It was all looking good for RBCC until Ben, dozing in the outfield (having just dropped a sitter) was hit in the face by a wayward throw from one of his own players. He had to leave the pitch for a concussion check and we were grateful for the ministrations of one of the Sevenoaks players who helped to make sure that Ben was OK.

By the halfway stage we looked to have the game wrapped up but whether it was the injury to Ben, fatigue from the night before or just the clouds rolling in, the balance of the match started to change. Our experienced bowlers, Chris A and Arun, tried to put the brakes on but by now Sevenoaks were purring. Sykes and Nix both hit unbeaten 50s and any doubt that the tide had turned was removed by a shocking decision by an unpleasant man masquerading as an umpire, the charlatan in question turning down a clear run out.

We took it deeper than our last match at Otford but the hard truth is that we had this match in the bag but gave it away by bowling too many wides and dropping three expensive sitters in the outfield. Sevenoaks finished the job in the penultimate over.

The MOTM debate was a Weinel only affair; Chris bowled superbly but in the end Dom won through, despite having skulled one of his own team, on the basis of his excellent batting and bowling.

Afterwards we went back to Sevenoaks for beer and pizza. The lads were a little subdued but it didn’t take long for their normal high spirits to kick in and we were soon decamping to the delightful Rose and Crown for a post-match debrief, where President Vorzanger was toasted by all for putting €100 in the tour kitty. Those of us that know the legal limit for drinking alcohol in the UK is 18, and not 16 as in Belgium, loved the bit when Max B went back to the hotel to finish his maths homework before returning for a couple of pints at the bar and telling the barman how tough his schoolteachers were…

Poor Max B also managed to get himself voted DOTD when it turned out that he had ordered the hotel staff to deliver a toothbrush to his room and then even instructed the poor girl charged with serving the young master to unwrap it for him on the grounds that he didn’t want to chip a nail. Oh Max!

In true tour tradition things then started to get messy. Some of the senior tourists went on a bender and ended up in a secret bar at 02:00 hours, with one of them reportedly coming out with the immortal line ‘Is it OK if I have a quick p*ss in your garden?’ to the lady in charge.

Fortunately the young lads were aware that there was a crucial game the following morning and that they needed to prepare accordingly, which is why this photo shows them back at the hotel having protein shakes not beer and kebabs.

Match 3: Folkestone

Somehow everyone survived, no one was arrested, and Sunday morning saw us back in the fun bus and heading down to the coast to meet our old pals from Folkestone CC.

We had lost Chris A to another appointment but our old RBCC colleague, Hemang, joined us for the last game of the tour. Nick C seized control of the team while Rob was looking the other way, his mission statement being that he wanted to give the younger players a go, just before announcing that he would be opening the batting.

Predictably the worst Compton fell cheaply but at least we had one fluent lefty; step forward Chris W! Finally given a chance to bat up the order he was flying and looked nailed on for a half century when he was sawn off for 47 by an LBW decision from Max R that was best described by those present as ‘brave’. Ben made an unbeaten 50 and Dom played well yet again. As we only had 10 men one of our players was allowed to return for a second go; Captain Compton stepped forward bravely and somehow managed to do slightly worse than in his first innings. We had subsided to 237 all out; criminally we had done so using only 28 of our 35 overs.

Folkestone started well despite excellent bowling from Chris W and Ben, the latter turning his arm over for the first time in a while. Morgan (60) and Taylor (73) took Folkestone to within sight of victory but our lads never gave up. Wickets started to fall, one to a splendid diving catch by Max B, and suddenly we were back in the game.

The last pair came together with 6 runs needed and with the scores tied we had a marvellous run out opportunity that we couldn’t quite nail. Fine margins and all that as Folkestone won an excellent game of cricket. A tough game, played in excellent spirit.

With that it was time to race to the fun bus and head for the Tunnel. By this time some of our elite athletes were starting to feel the strain; even the ever eager President Ball needed some downtime…apparently still recovering from Rob’s instruction to ‘…bounce out pensioners!’.

It had been a great tour. Great fun for all, we got on well with both Sevenoaks and Folkestone, both of whom promised to visit us next season as well as inviting us over again. RBCC played some really good cricket; well done lads.

There were still a couple of formalities to go through of course. Chris W was a clear MOTM both for his batting and his bowling. Nick C won DOTD, partly for his coup d’etat, partly because he wasn’t there when we voted. The final formality? One last raid on FlexiPlus!

Scorecard & Player Ratings

Chris A: Big marks for making it, eventually, to Otford, loses marks for going drinking with Compo – 7
Ben: Excellent batting throughout, bowled well at Folkestone – 9
Rob: Led by example, made solid runs and bowled up hill and into the wind at Folkestone; played a blinder by booking the tour bus – 7
Dom: Batted well and bowled 7 good overs at Otford; added to his tour reputation…on and off the pitch – 9
Adam: Great keeping in difficult conditions, kept the team going with positive vibes; unlucky with his batting – 8
Max B: Another great tourist, bowled fast, hit hard and took great catches. Loses a point for toothbrushgate – 9
Arun: A class act on and off the pitch, beautiful cover drives – 7
Max R: Bowled some great spells and fielded well; struggled a bit at Folkestone but battled through it – 8
Nick C: His on-field game looked a bit rusty; off-field was imperious – 7
Chris W: Terrific bowling and batted superbly. Great tourist – 9
Hemang: An RBCC legend, great to have him on the tour – 7

They also served:

  • Mark W: Played a blinder as tour manager and all-round voice of reason – 9
  • Sudhanshu: Cruelly ruled out of the tour having put in a huge cat-herding effort – 9
  • Bus driver: Didn’t crash – 2

Back to France 🇫🇷 – Tour Report

Royal Brussels Cricket Club v Aulnay CC 7/8 June 2024

A select RBCC team was delighted to re-establish links with our friends at Aulnay via a short trip over the border; it’s been 10 long years since we last visited France but we intend to strengthen these bonds and make a longer French tour a regular addition to our calendar.

In keeping with the ongoing World Cup, our squad was drawn from many proud cricketing nations with Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, England and Australia all represented.

Royal Brussels Cricket Club Touring Team

With his usual attention to detail, Arun had organised the trip to perfection; the correct number of cars with the correct number of players arrived at the correct hotel and were allocated the correct number of rooms. After that things did get a little messy; perhaps the Burger King we visited didn’t represent French cuisine at its finest but fortunately Tipu had brought some refreshments with him and it ended up being a rather late night for some of our group. 

While the young lads watched Afghanistan’s glorious victory via some dodgy stream the older boys were introduced to Arun’s friend Paul John from Goa…while it is true that the hotel management had to break up the party in the early hours they were friendly enough and there’s no doubt that we will be welcomed back with open arms next time. It has to be said that there were some complaints about the excessive snoring of one of our players; in true touring tradition, we will not name the guilty party here but merely congratulate Sameel on his wisdom in locking the culprit out of his room…

Saturday morning dawned clear and bright as we gathered for breakfast with Fakrul providing the good stuff to help the jaded recover.  A short drive brought us to the Aulnay ground, based in a sports park and looking a fine sight under a cloudless sky. Being on the CDG flightpath meant that any longueurs in the cricket were compensated for by the constant procession of brightly-coloured planes. We were warmly welcomed by our hosts and we agreed to play a test match T20: two innings each of 20 overs.

A warm welcome from Aulnay

RBCC were invited to bat first on a lively pitch that offered plenty of lateral movement; Asama got a tricky one that he edged through to slip and the bounce continued to cause us some problems. Abdulwahed steadied the ship and went on to score an excellent 65 from only 60 deliveries in what was to prove to be the highest score of the day. Obaid also demonstrated some powerful hitting as we posted 129/6.

Aulnay’s innings started at a ferocious pace as their two young openers put together a stand of 87; our bowlers were getting a bit of a pasting until Sameel brought on Jalal and Arun in a bid to regain control. Not only did they slow down the run rate but Jalal went on to take 4 wickets with some excellent bowling. 

Jalal, the wizard

Having established a first innings lead of 50, Aulnay exercised their right to bat again.  On a hot day with a difficult outfield our lads put up a good fight with Max opening the bowling and William getting two classic wickets bowling down the hill and finding plenty of swing. With Asama struggling with injury Noor volunteered to keep and did a sterling job as we restricted them to 114 in 20 overs.

We needed a big score but a steady trickle of wickets meant that despite some impressive hitting from Fida, Sameel and Arun we couldn’t put big partnerships together. Tipu hit the last boundary of the match as we finished on 135/7.

The game was played in an excellent spirit. To mark our respect and our thanks for an excellent biryani, Arun presented our hosts with an RBCC pennant, a replica shirt and some fine Belgian beers. 

Arun, thanking the hosts on behalf of Royal Brussels Cricket Club

We had a great day and everyone returned home safe and sound. We will host the return match later this summer, hopefully with the same sense of camaraderie and victory for the Royal Brussels Cricket Club!

Match Scorecard

RBCC 2023 🇬🇧 UK Tour Report

Royal Brussels CC crosses the channel on a 4-day cricket tour

After a tour hiatus for a few years, Royal Brussels CC was back on the road and travelling to the United Kingdom. Here is the tour report by our very own Nick Revill, who was there to ensure the touring party was behaving well & brought back safely!

Day 1 With military planning and precision, the cream of RBCC’s crop packed up and rolled out of Brussels, destination Kent.

Such was the commitment to the cause that our lads didn’t let the terrible weather, the dreadful traffic jams, or the hated ‘No Ball Games’ rule stop their pursuit of cricketing perfection, managing to get a game on in the Eurotunnel car park and an empty train carriage while en route.

Not for the last time on this tour, some of the umpiring was a little too enthusiastic!

Despite the congestion, eventually, all the touring party managed to make it to the rendezvous in Sevenoaks, where dinner with Kumar proved to be a delight. There was one minor hiccup when one of our leading lights managed to lock himself in the toilet for half an hour. Happily though, after a thorough explanation of the difference between ‘push’ and ‘pull’ he managed to make his escape and rejoin the rest of the party. The evening was rounded off by drinks at our hotel under the expert guidance of Tipu and Jalal.

Day 2 Our tourists woke to two of the greatest things known to mankind, sunshine and a Premier Inn breakfast. Our younger players in particular showed a real commitment to preparing in a professional manner for the matches to come.

Having feasted and rested we headed into Sevenoaks, stopping off at an impressive Ferrari showroom on the way. Sadly none of the models on offer had sufficient boot room for a cricket coffin so we declined to enter into negotiations.

Poor weather forced us to take refuge in a grand old English pub, The Anchor, for a couple of hours.

Suitably refreshed we made our way to The Vine, one of the oldest cricket grounds in the world having been established in 1734. We were immediately made welcome by our old friends.

Despite the poor weather, our hosts were kind enough to suggest a pairs game. For some of the younger members of the party, this was their first game on a grass pitch; even so, our accurate bowling and tigerish fielding restricted our hosts to a meagre score.

As we opened our innings, RBCC decided to even things up with some comical cricket of our own. Young Ollie demonstrated that it is possible to lap your partner, running out Kumar several times in the process. Arun added to the frivolity by posting an individual score of -20. The latter was particularly hard to understand because he had prepared so assiduously beforehand…

Old hands Nick and Sudh showed all their class and experience by bringing us back into contention. Williams and Adam then showed the cool heads for which they are both renowned, seeing us home by a hairs-breadth, thus ensuring a 100% success rate for guest star Pradeep

.

Joyful after-match celebrations were paused briefly for the obligatory speech by Lord Compo but the beer was soon flowing again in a marvellous celebration of cricketing fraternity.

Some hardy souls then adjourned to the Miners Arms for refreshment, others took the more traditional route of partying with Jalal and Tipu.

Our diary, being faithful to the old motto ’What goes on tour stays on tour’ must draw a veil over subsequent shenanigans…

Day 3 We woke to glorious sunshine and set off for our match at Uckfield, our opponents being a couple of solid hangovers and a scratch Fletching XI that sounded worryingly young and athletic.

Big Al, captain of the official Fun Bus, struggled to adapt to local driving conditions and, after several near misses, gave up entirely and resorted to simply nudging other vehicles off the road. No one was hurt, though it should be reported that Pride, and the van, were both dented.

The pitch at Uckfield had clearly not benefitted from the tender ministrations provided by The Vine’s professional groundsman. Frankly, it was the sort of sticky dog that gives batters nightmares.

Fletching CC batted first and were soon struggling with Adam taking early wickets. Perhaps it was over-confidence that resulted in one of our umpires calling their captain back after a first-baller but it proved to be a mistake as he went on to top score with 36.

We couldn’t possibly comment on rumours that the responsible umpire and the Fletching captain are related. It should also be noted that at one stage we had three generations of the Compton family on the pitch; the eldest and the youngest performed admirably, the middle one not so much…

Williams bowled well and Arun was electric in the field as we restricted them to 122. Surely that wouldn’t be too much of a problem?

We were then presented with one of the finest cricket teas ever seen on God’s green earth, so much so that our host, Sharon, received a standing ovation from both teams as the lot was devoured.

Matt and Sudh started our reply in sparkling form against some sprightly bowling. The dodgy pitch did its work however and when some pretty ruthless umpiring saw Dom sawn off at the knees by his mate Max, the writing was on the wall. A defiant 26 by Ollie was insufficient as RBCC fell short by 14 runs.

Any grumpiness on the part of the visitors was quickly dispelled by a visit to the nearby Griffin, a marvellous old country inn with one of the finest beer gardens in England. We were joined by our hosts for a post-match debrief, young Ben leading the way with a few quick pints of Guinness.

All too soon we had to pack up and head south to Brighton. The evening took a sour turn when Al’s bag was stolen as we checked into our hotel but we reconvened at the Ephesus restaurant and it didn’t take too long for the big man’s smile to return.

We adjourned to the Quadrant a rare ‘old man’s pub’ near the seafront but it was clear that the young pups were struggling to stand the pace.

In the end only the GOATs – you know who you are! – had the stamina to go clubbing…

Day 4 With heavy hearts, we left Brighton and headed for Rye and the picturesque Church Lane ground of Iden CC. This pitch had considerably more grass on it and the groundsman told us that the ball would carry through at a good pace; always listen to the groundsman’s children, this chap was spot on in his assessment.

We batted first and posted a solid score of 192. Ben batted beautifully for an undefeated 67 and both Dom and Tipu scored 39.

Another excellent tea confronted us but, worried that the previous day’s post-prandial lethargy had been caused by one too many vol-au-vents, mascots Nick and Al sacrificed their waistlines by hoovering up most of the cake before the players could get any…

Our bowling was excellent. Williams and Ollie were quick and straight while Jalal was absolutely in his element and virtually unplayable. Special mention also to Max who toiled up the hill, despite being ill, and bowled an excellent spell. It was all too much for Iden and even some late-order slogging could only get them to 125. In part this was also due to an excellent cameo spot at cover from all-action South African fielder Jonty Rhodes Big Al; like a sausage roll, the ball never got past him!

We got on really well with the Iden team and we dragged ourselves away with promises of a reciprocal visit ringing in our ears.

Sadly the tour was over too soon. We had an excellent trip filled with laughter and camaraderie, met some great people along the way, and played at some lovely grounds. The whole party got on well and our thanks go out to Sudh and Compo for organising everything. Our drive home was bittersweet; sad that our adventure was over but with loads of happy memories…just as it should be on every good tour.

The End…Until Next Year!

BBCA Summer Fete 2023

Annual Summer Party organised by the Brussels British Community Association at Royal Brussels CC.

Another great day at RBCC for the annual Summer Party organised by the Brussels British Community Association and sponsored by the British store Stonemanor. Over €1,000 was raised for good causes with donations going to four charities based in Belgium.

Despite the scorching heat and the temptations of the Pimm’s tent, there was also some excellent cricket to entertain the crowd, with our old friends from SHAPE taking on the might of the British Embassy. The Embassy called upon a few ringers from the Brussels Celtic rugby community; the latter group performed with commendable enthusiasm although it is fair to say that their results could best be described as mixed…

There was also some highly competitive off-pitch action under the watchful eye of MC Nick Compton. The tug-of-war, three-legged race and perennial favourite, the egg-and-spoon sprint, all caught the eye of the discerning sports fan. Appetites whetted, cakes, cream teas and burgers were all consumed in considerable quantities as the Fete drew to a close.

We are looking forward to seeing you all again at RBCC next summer!

Frankfurt Tour Report – 2018

Royal Brussels CC visits Frankfurt on tour

A party of 23 players and supporters left Brussels on Friday 31/08 to play in Frankfurt against Frankfurt Furies (Ladies) & ZVCA (Men). On arrival, we were welcomed by Chairman Compton who had arrived early to find us a good spot in the hotel bar.

The first match of the tour started in the early afternoon with RBCC Women facing off against the FCC Furies. After winning the toss, FCC Furies elected to field first. The field’s dryness along with some good batting skills allowed the RBCC batsmen to score freely, with Christina retiring at 20 in the 4th over and an excellent performance from Pascale who stayed in to demonstrate how running between wickets should be done, retiring after 18 overs in her 3rd cricket game ever. Contributions from Paromita, Sue and Maureen, who batted her first innings, ensured an excellent score of 141 after 20 overs was set.

RBCC women are all set to take on the furies

In the 2nd inning, we set the field with a plan to keep it tight and restrict wides and extras. After a close battle, FCC reached the target in the 19th over despite Tight bowling from Anya, Paromita, Pascale, Sue and Keshav.

After a long night at the bar with Chairman Compton leading the team meeting until 6:00 am, the Royal Brussels CC men’s team looked fresh & prepared to take on ZVCA apart from a few hungover heads. Although the Chairman does not recall any discussions or events after 4:00 a.m.

After a long night of strategic planning

Skipper of the day Sameel was given strict instructions from the team to win the toss & bat first as some of the players still needed some more time to prepare for the game. ZVCA won the toss & decided to put us under the sun to ensure we were completely awake by the time it was our turn to bat. The game was a 25-over affair.

Sachin & Prateek were given the responsibility to share the new ball. The opposition openers were eager to take on our bowlers and unleashed from the first over. At 50/0 in 5 overs, Brighton came on to bowl and started off gently. Having warmed up after a few deliveries, Brighton was ready to slow down proceeding and took some crucial wickets. He broke the middle stump of one of their number 3 batsman and brought it back as a souvenir. He duly signed & kissed it with red lipstick so we could display it at our clubhouse.

Brighton with him momento!

With many legends of Royal Brussels CC present in the team, things stayed under control for the rest of our bowling. Some notable bowling performances from Kumar, Jalal and Gregg. Jalal turned back the clock from his playing days with figures of 4-0-11-1. Royal Brussels CC restricted them to 147/9 in 25 overs.

In reply, Nick Compton & Sudhanshu Verma led the batting order. The opposition started off with their new South African pacer who sent the first one down the leg for a wide and after having given it some thought Sudhanshu decided to run. He earned a royal duck in return for his efforts. At number 3, Brighton Watambwa walked into the middle. The score after the first over read 22/1. With the score ticking at a healthy rate and batsmen eager to return back to the pavilion, Royal Brussels CC found themselves in a spot of bother at 100/8.

Sameel found himself batting with Jalal and took on the attack to the opposition. With a quick 20, he went for one shot too many and got bowled. Sachin & Jalal kept trying out in the middle and brought us home nearly but with too many left for the last pair to score Royal Brussels CC lost by 8 runs.

An exchange of thanks and awards followed the game. Nick Compton, Club Chairman, thanked ZVCA for their hospitality and presented their captain with a club shirt to acknowledge his efforts. ZVCA hosted a BBQ post-match to end a top day of cricket.

Having not won any games during the day, Chairman Compton summoned another team meeting at the sports bar to prepare a strategy for the next day. Having listened to our conversations, the bar decided to shut the door and we were forced to retire to our rooms early.

On Sunday, well rested after the first game and a sumptuous BBQ, RBCC Women’s won the toss. They set out to field first restricting the FCC furies to a score of 103 after 20 overs, thanks to great bowling performances and very Tight fielding that led to great catches, run-outs and wickets down. Paromita, Nicky and Zara contributed with one wicket each. They were aided in the field by run-outs and catches from Sue and Alix.

In the 2nd innings, RBCC’s batting performance allowed us to reach the target in the 13th over, with Zara retiring after a few overs, and Paromita, Nicky and Anya each showing off their batting skills.

With a relatively fresh & rested men’s squad there were only two changes from the previous game. Vincent Ching replaced Nick Compton and Jalal Syed had to sit out due to a hamstring injury. ZVCA were kind enough to provide us with extra players.

Prateek, the skipper on the day, could not bring us the joy of batting first as he forgot to use a double-sided coin. We found ourselves standing in the field but this time under cloud cover. Kumar & Sachin started this time for Royal Brussels. Kumar was excellent with the new ball swinging it both ways and finding the outside edge of their opening batsman. None of the bowlers could stop the flow of runs but kept taking regular wickets. ZVCA finished their quota of 20 overs with 167/9 on the scoreboard.

Brighton & Sudhanshu opened but could not stay together for long. Brighton was the first wicket to fall down. Having made a royal duck the previous day, Sudhanshu played carefully up until the 11th over before Jitrendriya decided to send him back halfway down the pitch. Having successfully lobbied for not having batsmen retire after scoring 30, Jitendriya kept rotating the strike with the odd boundary.

With 6 overs left and 72 runs still required Gregg Hawson walked in to join Jitendriya Swain. Having practised with Miller Hawson for 2 days in the nets during & after games he was ready to let his bat do the talking. Gregg smashed the bowlers around the park and scored a quick 20-ball 50. With 13 runs to chase down in the last over, Gregg tried to run the ball to the third man and was bowled. Royal Brussels CC came close to the finishing line but lost by 2 runs.

Brighton was thrilled to have witnessed a classical Gregg’s innings.

We were very warmly welcomed by FFCC & ZVCA and it was a very enjoyable experience for Royal Brussels CC on their first tour to Frankfurt. A special thanks to Alexander Jewell-Thomas from ZVCA for organising an entertaining weekend.

A special thanks to everyone who made it on the tour. All enjoyed an excellent weekend’s cricket. It is hoped to tour again together in 2019.